Specifications

Samsung's flagship S-series smartphones roll off the hype-production line on a yearly basis with unerring accuracy. They go on to sell in huge numbers, but the relatively small gap between releases means that one quickly blurs into another for most people. The Samsung Galaxy S4 was the 2013 model and even a couple of years on it looks pretty smart and is still very capable, but should you buy it today?

^ It can be hard to tell the Galaxy S-series smartphones apart

The Galaxy S4 isn't really a phone to show off with; not that it doesn't look rather pretty, but more because it's almost unrecognisable from both its predecessor, and successor, unless you look up close. The S4 appears to have the usual white plastic finish, but look closer and you'll see a fine diamond pattern beneath the gloss surface. It's a nice touch, and one subtle enough to avoid accusations of unnecessary bling. It manages to avoid attracting fingerprints too, so you won't need to incessantly polish it to keep it looking clean. The silver trim around the edges might look like metal, but it's actually plastic as well.

^ We rather like the subtle new pattern, but it's far more pronounced on the Black version

Given its big 4.99in display, the S4 is surprisingly svelte. It measures just 136.6x69.8x7.9mm and weighs only 130g. 2014's phones have slightly larger screens, packed into slightly larger bodies, but the S4 still looks like a modern smartphone.

This is largely thanks to its very thin screen bezels, both down the edges and at other end. This puts the screen just 2.5mm away from the edge of the device and it's becoming hard to imagine this distance getting any smaller without seriously compromising the survivability of the handset when dropped. The sides have been squared off, compared to the S3, which makes it easier to grip though it looks a little chunkier for it.

The areas above and below the screen are now far smaller, which has significantly reduced the amount of space for the physical home button and touch sensitive menu and back commands. This could have made them awkward, but the button needs an appreciably lighter press and we had no trouble hitting the touch sensitive controls.

^ The screen fills the handset like we've never seen before

Despite having a removable rear cover, which has advantages we'll discuss later, the S4 doesn't suffer overly for this practicality. The rear panel fits snug against the body with no flex or shift. When in place, the handset feels like a single piece of tech. It looks somewhat flimsy when removed, but we've taken it off many times without cracking or breaking it.

The Galaxy S4 is among the best-looking plastic phones we've ever seen then, something you could still claim today. It's a decent evolution from the S3, ironing out plenty of the minor flaws that its predecessor had. These include a USB port that didn't look very well cut out and a rear case that had quite a loose fit; with the S4, it feels that much more finished and as though more attention has been paid to the detail.

Having said that it's a very conservative design. Purely from a look and feel perspective we prefer the aluminium HTC One. The curved back and sharp corners make it look far more striking that the rather amorphous blob of the S4; plus HTC has squeezed in a pair of front mounted speakers onto the One, as we'll discuss later. However, as a piece of practical engineering the S4 is simply superior, because it fits a noticeably larger display into a similarly sized handset. You simply can't get more screen than this in your pocket for the size or weight - everything else heads into phablet territory.

The S4 is better designed from an ergonomic point of view too. The power button at the top of the HTC One is beautifully designed, doubles as an IR blaster and responds reliably when you press it - once you've got the hang of where it is. The problem is its position; having pressed it with your forefinger, you can't then reach the buttons below the screen with your thumb. The S4's right-hand-side power button has a far more traditional and boring look, but at least you can use the handset one handed without having to shift your grip constantly.

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Comments

Submitted by Leslie on Sat, 2014-07-05 17:12.

I just got this phone & I hate it. It freezes, types incorrect words ( the number 1 turned into which), reception for phone & texting isn't nearly as good as my old samsung. When I get a text, I try to swipe the screen so I can read it & all it does is move my home screen picture around. I have to press the lock button to dim the screen then press the button again & then swipe to read the text. I don't understand why it gets 4 1/2 stars unless I got a lemon. I had an otter box on it & it got so hot that it worked even worse than the above description. Took the otter box off & it was ok for a day & then started acting up again. I'm taking it back & reactivating my old phone. This one just isn't worth the headache.

Submitted by uvka on Sat, 2014-08-02 20:52.

I got this phone 7 months before..First 4 months it was working accurately.Then it started to overheat, began to switch off and switch on randomly ..it always goes till samsung logo screen and again switch off and starts the loop. until i put it on charge.I tried to contact samsung customer center and they said to change the battery i did change but no work..Its really a headache..i now regret of buying this handset :(

Submitted by Anne Lake on Wed, 2014-08-27 11:25.

I have had the Samsung s4 for a year wow it been awful hate it with a passion worst phone out don't ever get one does it own thing I could be in the middle of an important phone call it cut out phone back does it again over and over l have felt like throwing it in the bin plenty of times and my friends family said the same never again you can have you rubbish back Samsung

Submitted by lyleUS on Sun, 2014-10-12 00:09.

You definitely all have lemons then, because mine works perfectly (a year) and have only heard great things about the phone from other people.

Submitted by shikhar on Fri, 2014-10-24 20:44.

my galaxy s4 is working very well.i bought it almost 15 months back and from the 1st day till today it is giving excellent performance...really a good phone to have! mine one is a octa-core version.GT-I9500!!

Submitted by Diana on Sat, 2014-10-25 03:48.

Have had my Samsung S4 for 6 months and love it in fact all my family members have the same model. I use to be a HTC fan but switched over to samsung, I'm definitely looking forward to buying the galaxy S6.

Submitted by trob6969 on Sun, 2014-10-26 02:15.

I got my S4 when it was first released and i still can't find anything to dislike about it.

Submitted by CowCommander on Mon, 2014-10-27 02:32.

I had this phone for the past 8 months now and overall its good BUT the battery life is not good at all even on minimal usage days and using different strategies to save power. The standby time is bad as it will lose a lot of battery when you sleep or while not in use. I like the display , weight, look, and specs of it but seriously its not the best in battery.

Submitted by Kos Astra on Sat, 2014-11-01 05:17.

It didn't change that much

Submitted by lb on Mon, 2014-12-15 02:18.

Is it waterproof?

Submitted by Guest on Sat, 2015-03-28 19:47.

SIM card reader is big issue. Not even 2 years old and it will have to be replaced